Chapter 165

“Let us depart at once, Lord Egru! I will tell you the rest of the story on the way!” Kunte beamed, though Egru was still thoroughly confused. “If we travel diligently, we should arrive next week. We’ll have to take a boat to an island, you see. It would have been better if the old gentleman could come himself, but he’s in no state to move.”

Kunte stretched his short arms and legs. “That’s what happens when a mere human tries to unnaturally extend their lifespan. The mind may endure, but the body crumbles. Unless one has the body of a demigod, it’s a foolish choice, in my opinion.”

“U-Um…”

“What is it, Lord Egru?”

Egru did his best to avoid Kunte’s sparkling eyes. “Am I… am I the one who is supposed to receive that person’s power? Your former contractor?”

“It would be more accurate to say you are recovering what was originally yours. There will be some… ah, adorable pain involved, but it is a price well worth paying.”

“B-But.” Egru fidgeted with his fingers and lowered his head. “I can’t leave right now…”

“Shall we leave in a few days, then? Or how about a few weeks? The old man has waited centuries; what’s a little longer?” Kunte suggested, his voice full of passion as he laid out various plans. “I will assist as well. The sooner this is settled, the sooner you will be a free man.”

“I’m sorry, Kunte.” Egru squeezed his eyes shut and spoke. “I-I don’t want to receive that person’s power.”

“Pardon?”

For a long moment, Kunte froze, looking as though he’d been kicked in the back of the head by a horse. This was absurd. Why on earth would he refuse a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?

No… Kunte’s eyes widened. This would disrupt his grand plan. Surely he hadn’t figured it out already? “Are you perhaps worried that it’s some kind of dark magic? Or is it because of the pain?”

“That’s not it…”

The moment Egru clenched his fists, Kunte tensed and swallowed hard.

“I-I want to prove that I can become strong on my own!”

“Don’t give me that old-fashioned nonsense!” Kunte shrieked, the statement catching him completely off guard. “Have you been living in a cave? In this dog-eat-dog era where people will do anything to get ahead, what kind of 답답한 소리are you spouting?! Do you have any idea how popular artifacts and lucky encounters are among young adventurers these days?”[^1]

“Th-That’s just not what I want. If I work hard, step by step, even someone like me can become a hero. I believe that.”

In his shining amber eyes, Kunte saw a sincerity he could not break. Nevertheless, he ground his teeth. He wasn’t about to give up. “You’re all talk for someone who would have been in big trouble just now without my help!”

“Of course, I’m truly grateful, Kunte. I promise I’ll help you next time, too. That’s why, starting today, I’m going to train like crazy…!”

“I believe you are misunderstanding something, Lord Egru.” Kunte took several deep breaths to calm himself. “Our goal is your origin. You are simply taking back the power that was stolen from you long ago.”

“S-Still, not right now.”

“No, my role is to help you make the right choice! Are you going to let a lowly human like that look down on you?” Kunte gestured sharply at Jade, who was still unconscious. “I know your true identity! You are by no means someone who should suffer such an indignity!”

“My identity? Wh-What is it?” Egru asked, his curiosity piqued.

Kunte simply crossed his arms and glared. “I will tell you if you promise to come with me!”

“That’s a shame…”

“Gah!” Utterly helpless against Egru’s unbreakable resolve, Kunte looked furious. He thrashed about in mid-air, flailing his short arms and legs. “I am on a completely different level from those other newborn spirits! Do you have any idea what a huge loss it is to cast me aside?”

“I’m not casting you aside, Kunte…”

“Hmph! I don’t care!”

Egru reached out a hand to soothe him, but Kunte rubbed his eyes and shot up into the air. “Fine! See how you do on your own from now on!” he shouted, his face a mask of indignation. “I will not help you again until you accept my proposal!”

With that, Kunte zipped out of the basement training hall.

Egru started to follow him, then stopped and looked back. He hadn’t forgotten to retrieve his communicator from the unconscious Jade’s hand. “A real hero… doesn’t do things like this,” he muttered, delivering a short reprimand before picking up a wooden sword and heading up the stairs. It seemed he wouldn’t be able to come down to the training hall for a while.

“Kunte? Where are you, Kunte?”

He searched all over the castle, but there wasn’t so much as a flutter of a wing to be seen. It seemed the spirit was intent on hiding. As he trudged down a long corridor, a gentlemanly voice called out from behind him.

“What are you doing here?”

“Ah, Marquis Chelsea…”

The Marquis looked from Egru to the wooden sword and back again, his expression puzzled. “Well, I was looking for a place to train…”

“You wish to learn the sword?”

“Y-Yes…”

“Swordsmanship is difficult to learn on one’s own. I would assign a knight to you if I could, but I’m afraid the principality lacks the manpower at the moment.”

“No, it’s okay.”

“Have you considered asking your companion for instruction?”

“That’s…” Egru’s lips moved, but no sound came out. He felt a wave of shame. It was as if he had just been exposed, his lack of skill so profound that not even his own companion would teach him.

For a long moment, Marquis Chelsea simply looked down at him. It wasn’t hard to guess there was a story he couldn’t tell. He saw the amber eyes cast toward the floor, the frail posture, the slumped shoulders. But he also saw the two small hands gripping the wooden sword with unwavering determination. The Marquis found himself smiling. The sight reminded him of another stubborn someone from long ago.

“…How about you go and see His Grace the Duke?”

“The Duke? W-Wouldn’t he be busy?”

“Everyone needs time to clear their head. When His Grace needs such time, he often takes up a sword. As such, he is particularly well-versed in swordsmanship theory. I’m certain his advice would be helpful.” The Marquis glanced around before covering his mouth with his hand and whispering, “If you tell him I sent you, he will likely see you.”

“Ah, ah…!” Egru was speechless, his face flushing with overwhelming gratitude as he stammered. “H-How can I ever repay this kindness…!”

“It is hardly enough for the savior of my life.” The Marquis smiled warmly. “He should be in… the cheese storeroom right now. The basement passages are a bit complicated, but follow the scissor-shaped mark engraved on the left wall. I repeat, the left wall.”

“Th-Thank you, Marquis Chelsea!”

Bowing a full ninety degrees, Egru shot off like an arrow.

“The other way!”

At the Marquis’s shout, Egru spun around and ran in the opposite direction.

“Take the second staircase you see, all the way down!”

Marquis Chelsea stood in place until Egru’s back was out of sight. The small boy’s interest in the sword was a mirror image of the Duke’s own childhood.

“Poor soul…” he murmured, before turning and walking away down the corridor.

***

A noisy tavern.

A man sat with his back to the moonlight streaming through a broken window. He slowly swirled the last few sips of moonshine in his glass. An intimidating and violent aura radiated from his large frame, which was hidden beneath a thick robe.

“Guild Master!”

The vice-guild master entered the tavern, the few remaining strands of his hair flying behind him. He kept his voice low, but his eyes were alight with excitement. “We’ve finally received some useful information. The Holy Knights got to it first, but we took care of them.”

“The Holy Knights.”

“They’ve been dealt with. Seeing as there’s been no special movement from the Papal Court, our boys must have stopped them successfully. The location is some duchy in a corner of the West Continent. Shall I book a territory portal right away?”

“Do it.”

Levian drained the last of his moonshine and rose slowly to his feet. The scent of thick blood wafted from his crimson hair, which was thrown into black shadow by the backlighting.

Insolent little brat, a voice rumbled from within his red lips.

“If you won’t come to me, I’ll have to come find you.”